Comfort

Easter Sunday…He Is Risen!

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The tomb is empty…He is not there…Jesus Christ has risen…He lives!  Only God can help us in this world.  The Cross and the Resurrection are proof of God’s love and God’s power.  No matter where you are or what you are facing in life turn towards God, invite Jesus into your heart and mind and read the Word of God.  He can overcome anything if we turn to Him and trust Him.  He is risen…thank you God almighty…He Is Risen!

DSC00819 publish

“He is not here, he has risen!  Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:  The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.”

Luke 24:6-7

(This photo was taken in July of 2012 in a neighborhood near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Share Goodness

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Whenever you can, share the goodness of life.  Make eye contact and smile at other people, hold a door open, help someone carry things, be patient with others, listen instead of talking and support those in need without expectation of something in return.  When we choose to live in community with one another we can see the goodness of the Lord in life.  It is striving to get back to the basics of interacting with each other in a simple and kind manner.  It is a choice, we are not victims of our environment or our surroundings unless we choose to be.  If you don’t know how or where to start, I would recommend getting out into nature and be present in God’s creation.  Nothing soothes my soul better than being outdoors in the amazing world God created.  May God’s peace and the wonder of creation be with you.

DSC01048 publish

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Galatians 6:9

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 while traveling in northern Colorado)

Everlasting Peace

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Throughout the days, weeks, months and years of life you may come across reflections of a time or times when you remember moments of life with peace.  Where were you?  What was going on in your life and in the world?  Who were you with?  Do you remember what it felt like?

For me these times involve my time with family and friends most often…usually these moments are times of simplicity, not in a rush or hurry, not worried about the plans or the meal.  They were definitely times of less technology in our daily life.  Whatever those moments are for you, say a prayer to ask God to help you make time to do those things and to be with those people whenever and however you can.  It is that peace that feeds us to get through the times when we are unsettled and stressed.  May God’s peace overwhelm you and be with you.

DSC_1006 publish

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

John 14:27

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)

Consistent

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We all experience times and events that are good times and bad times.  Times when we can relax and be at peace and times when chaos reigns, it all occurs depending upon what is going on in our lives and who we are spending our time with.  The environment we choose to spend time in will always impact our highs and lows.  Who are we surrounding ourselves with, are we able to be ourselves or are we always performing for others consciously or subconsciously?  Throughout history there is only one thing that has created a firm foundation to stand on…the bible.  The Word of God and the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The values and principles of a life following Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are documented, solid and unchanging.  If you are looking for a place to build your life on start with the greatest foundation available.  May God’s peace be with you.

DSC_0661 publish

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Hebrews 13:8

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming)

The Path To Peace

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The first steps to finding some peace for me have come from learning about faith and learning about Jesus.  Through weekly worship, daily devotions, listening to christian music and serving to help others in need.  The next steps to lasting peace are actually getting to know Jesus in personal relationship, through prayer and listening, taking time to sit outdoors in nature in the quiet and to be at peace.  The farther down the path you go the harder it can be at times because of the world we live in…that is when it helps the most to remember that Christ is with me, even if I don’t sense His presence.  Trust in God, trust also in Jesus as He is The Way to peace.  May God’s love and peace be with you.

DSC_0975 publish

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)

Renew

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

I am working on trying to be better about not making snap judgments and flippant comments regarding situations when I know very few details.  We don’t take time to learn the details of a situation and try to understand before we start down the path of judgment and criticism.  Social media, of course, it right there to encourage the wrong behavior.  If we strive to learn more before we speak out, society as a whole would be much better off.  I am able to renew my mind and my behavior when I spend time reading the Word of God.  I want to stop jumping in to be the critic and the doubter so quickly and remember that we all were created by God and that each and every person is fighting a battle.  May God’s peace be with you.

DSC01209 publish

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Romans 12:2

(This photo was taken in April of 2016 at a lake in central Minnesota)

Start With Gratitude

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When you find yourself spending too much time in worry and fear it is time to change your perspective.  Nothing else will change for you in your life if you don’t start by assessing yourself.  Look around your life and assess where you are from a basic needs point of view…take note of things or people you may be or may have been taking for granted and be thankful for them.  Instead of starting each day with negativity of “now what?” or “what is going to go wrong next?”…change your thought process.  “I am so thankful for this person” or “I am grateful I have food” and eventually you will notice a change in attitude.  Try it for 30 days…see what happens and take time to pray about it.  God provides everything we need not everything we want or think we need.  May God’s peace be with you.

DSC08493 publish

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.  Know that the Lord is God.  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;  his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Psalm 100

(This photo was taken in December of 2013 in northwestern Wisconsin)

Redefine Needs

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We are fed a daily dose of what we should get or do to make our life easy, more convenient.  The messages from the world and society are ‘get more,’ define yourself according to the world’s standards…this is all to keep us away from pursuing a life of faith and a relationship with God.  The more we focus on our lifestyle comforts and what the world tells us we need to be considered successful, the less time and effort we focus on building up our faith and spending time with God.  Just the way the prince of darkness wants it…to break the cycle we need to take courage and stand up to the barrage of ads and prodding to live by the standards of this world.  People get frustrated when something doesn’t have instructions or information about ‘how to’…life and faith happen to have an instruction manual and it was delivered to us by the manufacturer…our Creator and loving Father.  Pick up your bible, spend time with God and seek His instructions on what you Need.  May God’s peace be with you.

DSC06178 publish

“Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Luke 12:15

(This photo was taken in February of 2013 in a neighborhood near Plymouth, Minnesota)

A Walk With God

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

How can we feed our faith?  Why does it feel like faith is separate from the rest of life?  Where can I see God at work in my life?  All these questions and many more can be answered…by doing one thing in our life.  Take a daily walk with God.  Choose a time and a place, make it a top priority…other things will come up against it but don’t give up.  It takes a willingness to commit and you can pray for the strength to stick to it.  There is nothing more valuable to me and my faith journey then my time with God each morning.  There isn’t only one way or one time to do this, just be sure to have a version of the Bible that is right for you.  God knows you, He knows about your life, He knows about your joy and He knows about your sorrow…He even knows the things that very few people on earth know about you.  Take time to be with Him because He loves you like nobody else can.  Spend some time and take a walk with God every day.  May God’s peace and love be with you.

DSC_1545 publish

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.  Do everything in love.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 at Sapphire Point near Dillon, Colorado)

Forgiveness

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Holding on to anger, rage and bitterness is unhealthy.  We know this is true.  Yet we still struggle to overcome the emotions of events.  To be able to exercise forgiveness we need to fully understand the intent.  It is not intended to say that an offender has been excused for their actions…rather it is a statement that we are not going to let the poor choices and actions of another keep us held in a state of  stress and anxiety.  Forgiveness should also be tied to some action to make a better future.  If we hold on to the anger and bitterness they will show up in all areas of our lives and this is a destructive pattern.  When we decide to forgive we are setting ourselves free from heading down a path of darkness.  Again I offer a musical reference to speak to this message…check out this song called Forgiveness by Matthew West.  May God’s peace be with you.

DSC_1523 publish

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:31-32

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 near Lake Dillon in Colorado)